Guinea pig GI (from pink book) Flashcards
What is the guinea pig/chinchilla dental formula?
20 teeth; I1, C0, PM1, M3 (in all 4 quadrants)
What is the palatal ostium?
The soft palate and base of the tongue are all continuous- the ostium is the hole through them that allows the oropharynx & rest of pharynx to connect.
GP salivary glands are (4):
Parotid, mandibular, sublingual, molar
How is the guinea pig stomach unlike that of rats, mice, hamsters?
all glandular tissue - other rodents listed are monogastric but 2 sectioned (glandular & non). not sure about chinch or degu.
Cecum is on which side?
Left (and middle) - it’s 65% of GI contents!
How many taeniae coli in the GP cecum?
3
Normal gastric emptying for a guinea pig?
2 hours
Normal mouth to butt time? (guinea pig)
20 hours
Normal mouth to butt to mouth to butt time? (guinea pig)
66 hours
The rabbit fiber sorting strategy is called ______
Vs everybody else is called _______
Rabbits wash back
Guinea pigs & everybody else: mucus trap
How does the mucus trap strategy work?
bacteria from cecum go into the colon and get trapped in mucus; the mucus gets antiperistalsed into the secum. Less efficient than the wash back, so colon is larger/heavier in a GP than a rabbit (more work to do)
what is the colonic furrow?
in the ascending colon, - a “track” to send mucus back to cecum, and has high concentration of nitrogen & bacteria
Radiographic features of a GDV:
Large, gas filled stomach on the RIGHT side of the cranial abdomen; or sometimes will be caudal, with intestines between stomach and liver
normal occlusal angle of guinea pig teeth?
30 degrees
treatment of a GP GDV?
Sedate
Decompress
Pain mgmt, fluid resuscitation
Surgery to eval stomach etc; if viable, pexy serosa of the stomach to the abdominal wall
What types of bacteria overgrow in GP dysbiosis? (per the pink book)
Gram negs & C diff
C diff enterotoxins cause:
secretory diarrhea
hemorrhagic typhlitis
What causes Tyzzer’s disease in guinea pigs?
Clostridium piliforme
Symptoms of Tyzzer’s disease?
lethargy, anorexia, diarrhea, ill-thrift
Necropsy findings with Tyzzer’s disease
intestinal inflammation, focal hepatic necrosis
treatment for Tyzzer’s disease
PSYCH. nothing specific. don’t let them be crowded, stressed, or fed crap. Supportive care, metronidazole I suppose.
What Salmonella spp show up in GPs?
Not super common, but enteritidis and typhimurium both reported. caused by fecal contamination of food and water; usually affects weanlings, preg sows, old, or poorly cared for/fed crap
symptoms of salmonella?
Scruffy hair coat Weight loss Weakness Conjunctivitis Abortion \+/- diarrhea
Necropsy findings of salmonellas in GPs?
Splenic & liver enlargement
yellow necrotic foci in viscera
Concerns after tx for salmonella?
Asymptomatic carrier state
Zoonotic risk
Plague in guinea pigs!
Not really. Yersinia pseudotuberculosis not pestis.
Abscesses of intestine, liver, regional LN
E coli in guinea pigs
wasting, depression, death in weanlings
yellow fluid in intestines
Other miscellaneous GP bacterial enteritides:
C Perf
Pseudomonas
Citrobacter
Listeria
Eimeria caviae
Guinea pig coccidia - diarrhea in young animals typically
Cryptosporidium wrairi
failure to gain weight (or weight loss), diarrhea
more likely to affect weanlings and immunocompromised animals
Balantidium caviae
Paraspidodera uncinata
Exist in GPs but no further notes on them
Typical treatment for fecal impaction in guinea pigs?
increase fiber and clean it regularly
